Dark Sky® Alqueva has just been internationally recognized as Europe’s Responsible Tourism Award 2020 and Europe’s Leading Tourism Project 2020 at the World Travel Awards, announced today, November 2, 2020.
It is a great honor to receive this double distinction at the acclaimed World Travel Awards, often considered the “Oscars of Tourism.” However, these are undoubtedly two awards that carry great responsibility. It is worth recalling that last year Dark Sky® Alqueva joined the list of destinations honored by the World Travel Awards with the Europe’s Responsible Tourism Award 2019.
Dark Sky® Alqueva is the first Portuguese astrotourism destination, with its creation dating back to 2007. Based on the acquired knowledge that allowed us to believe and invest in astrotourism as an important future trend in tourism demand, we moved forward in 2007 with the development of a sustainable destination where the night sky resource was the pillar of the work. Coupled with sustainable tourism development, our mission also lies in protecting the night sky and, with that, working towards achieving values close to zero regarding light pollution.
In 2011, Dark Sky® Alqueva became the first Starlight Tourism Destination in the world, and in 2018 the first cross-border one. It began with six Portuguese municipalities, later joined by Mértola, Évora, Serpa, and Redondo, and today it covers an area of 9,700 km² between Portugal and Spain around Lake Alqueva.
The Dark Sky® Route offers a wide range of astronomical observation activities, either with the naked eye or using telescopes. These can take place at the Official Dark Sky® Observatory in Cumeada or anywhere within the certified territory, always guided by a Dark Sky® Guide.
In addition to these activities, several complementary experiences have been developed that can be enjoyed both at night and during the day. These include hiking tours combining heritage and nature, canoeing, Solar System yoga, horseback riding, photographic tours and workshops, wine tours and tastings (including blind tastings), team building activities, orienteering, bird watching, wildlife watching, among others available upon request.
Among the activities that can be enjoyed at night, we highlight private or group astrophotography workshops, led by internationally recognized astrophotographer Miguel Claro.
For daytime experiences, highlights include boat trips on the Alqueva Lake, fishing, the Dark Sky® Sunset experience—featuring solar observation through a solar telescope accompanied by a Sharish Gin aperitif or a non-alcoholic cocktail—as well as hot air balloon rides at sunrise or sunset.
These are some of the most popular activities, but our team and partners are always available to create new experiences and develop tailor-made programs.
To learn more about our activities and partners, please visit our website: www.darkskyalqueva.com. Only there will you find the official partners.
Since the end of last year, Dark Sky® Alqueva has been introducing improvements, diversifying its range of activities, and expanding its network of local partners, which will soon be visible on our website.
The Dark Sky® concept has also been growing at the national level through regional partnerships, leading to the creation of Dark Sky Aldeias do Xisto in partnership with ADXTUR, and Dark Sky Vale do Tua in partnership with ADRVT. Together, these initiatives form the Dark Sky® PORTUGAL Network, with three destinations already certified by the Starlight Foundation, representing an area of 12,947.38 km² and positioning Portugal as a strong contender for a leading international astrotourism destination.
